The optional question for this month is: Do you have any rituals that you use when you need help getting into the ZONE? Care to share?

I'll say this. I've needed additional help getting into the zone lately. The stress of the pandemic is a factor, but an even bigger factor is having the kids home all the time and adjusting to them learning from home. I find the best time to get any writing done these days is after I've put all the kids to bed. The down side of that is I am often tired or stressed out after a long day. Still, trying to sit down and write can be a good way to end the day with a sense of accomplishment.

Normally I would sit down to write with a cup of coffee, but since I'm writing later at night, I've had to substitute that with a cup of tea. Sometimes putting on some soft music helps. If all that fails, forcing myself to start writing, putting one word in front of the other, can get things going.

There are no guarantees, of course, and in stressful times like these, it's understandable if your creativity well is less plentiful than normal. Enjoy the times when the writing flows, and when it doesn't, try not to be too hard on yourself. We're all human, and all we can do is our best.

I do think it's harder to be creative with all the stress of this pandemic around us. And especially for people who have kids at home. I can't imagine trying to home school a kid or three. Not sure if I'd be any good at it.

I can't imagine trying to write with kids at home all the time (It gives me flashbacks to when my son was little. Yeah, nothing productive would have happened under circumstances like these). Hang in there. This too shall pass, and maybe some of it will be good fiction fodder down the road.

I don't have kids at home. I don't work remotely. I'm retired with an income. So why am I stressed over the pandemic? I don't obsess over being in that susceptible group (older, with underlying health issues). Yet writing is evading me. Lack of focus. Reading what I've written sometimes helps me get back into the groove. I should try that, right?